The two young children brutally beaten in a hammer attack that also claimed the life of their mother in Brooklyn are showing signs of progress after spending nearly a week in the hospital.
Zhao Zhao and her kids were attacked inside their Sunset Park apartment on 52nd Street last Wednesday by a man police have said also lived in the apartment. The 43-year-old mother did not survive her injuries.
Zhao's 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, has been able to open her eyes for the first time since the attack and had her ventilator removed Monday, according to updates posted to an online fundraiser for the family.
"Although she isn't responding to her surroundings or the people around her just yet, and her left side remains inactive, this glimmer of hope is bringing us all closer together," an update posted Tuesday read.
Those close to the family are hopeful about Sophia's progress, and although she cannot "communicate verbally," they are bolstered by her finally waking up. Her older brother, meanwhile, has been moved out of the ICU.
Five-year-old David is now leaving his hospital bed for short walks, the GoFundMe fundraiser page said Tuesday. The young boy finally woke up on Sunday but was suffering from "temporary amnesia" and was not able to recognize his father. Two days later, an update said David managed to paint a picture.
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Both children suffered extensive injuries during an attack from Liyong Ye, according to police and law enforcement sources. All three victims were brutalized in the hammer attack Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m. in their second-floor home.
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Ye was taken into custody outside of the building, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said, and faces charges including second-degree murder, attempted murder and more. Police said that Ye came out of the apartment building covered in blood. The hammer apparently used in the attack was also recovered, covered in blood.
Police are still trying to piece together what happened, but they say the mother and her children rented a bedroom in the same apartment where the attacker also lived in a room with his child. Sources said there was a dispute of some sort; local officials say the fight may have been over rent.
Ye also told someone on Wednesday that he planned to fight with Zhao, then called that person to say he did something wrong, sources told NBC New York.
An investigation is ongoing.
